1 day ago
7
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa talks to media at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay, Metro Manila on May 13, 2026.
AFP / Jam Sta Rosa
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ping Lacson urged the National Bureau of Investigation not to summon Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa’s wife to determine the fugitive lawmaker’s whereabouts, calling the move “unprofessional.”
In a social media post on Sunday, May 31, Lacson described the possible subpoena for Nancy Dela Rosa as harassment and “trabahong-tamad.”
“Please don’t do this. Aside from exposing your incompetence in intelligence work, harassing Senator de la Rosa’s wife to track him is unprofessional, ‘trabahong-tamad,’” Lacson, a former Philippine National Police chief, said.
“That said, I pledge to ‘insert’ additional intelligence fund for the NBI during the period of amendments on the 2027 budget measure,” he added.
Lacson issued the statement after NBI Director Melvin Matibag said in an ambush interview on May 29 that the bureau would issue subpoenas to Nancy and other individuals who had recent contact with Dela Rosa.
Dela Rosa is wanted by the International Criminal Court and has been the subject of a manhunt since he slipped out of the Senate with Sen. Robin Padilla on May 14.
Nancy had earlier apologized on behalf of her husband for “escaping” after the Senate shooting incident on May 13.
NBI denies harassment
In response to Lacson’s post, Matibag said the possible subpoena for Nancy was not meant to determine Dela Rosa’s whereabouts.
“Let me be clear on one point: the NBI’s consideration of a subpoena directed at Ms. Nancy Dela Rosa has nothing to do with locating Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa. We are not asking her where her husband is,” Matibag said in a statement sent to reporters.
Matibag said investigators wanted to ask Nancy about a text message she allegedly sent to Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano when Dela Rosa left the Senate.
“If that account is accurate, it raises a serious question: was the Senate shooting used as a deliberate diversion to facilitate the senator’s departure? That is the question the NBI intends to pursue,” Matibag said.
“We know that General Mao Aplasca started the shooting. That establishes his direct involvement. And it naturally raises the question of who directed him. Whoever ordered General Aplasca must be made equally accountable, because that person put senators, Senate staff, and members of the media in harm’s way,” he added.
